


Together in Ashes

by daisyrachel



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Apologies, Crying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Forgiveness, Friendship, Gen, M/M, Moving On, Post-Battle of Hogwarts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-30
Updated: 2016-05-30
Packaged: 2018-07-11 04:38:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7028944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daisyrachel/pseuds/daisyrachel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Draco ponders his past and his future after the Battle of Hogwarts, while sitting not-so alone</p>
            </blockquote>





	Together in Ashes

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for @drarryparadise on tumblr with this prompt:
> 
> Drarry please the first moment they are face to face after the war and the trials may be on the street, the platform, the train, the castle (this is up to you!)

Draco sat silently, and alone.

The battle was over, and all the adults, minus the professors had left. His family would make it through this time; Potter had swooped in at the last minute to tell the Ministry officials carting Death Eaters off to wherever that his mother had lied to Voldemort for him.

Draco was a little surprised at that actually. He might have thought Harry was lying, but he also realized Harry had no debts owed to the Malfoys. He wouldn’t save them unless they had actually done something for him. 

So lost in his thoughts, he hadn’t even realized that sometime in the past few minutes, Potter had sat down next to him, and was studying him with great care. Draco was sure he didn’t look well. He hadn’t been truly healthy since he started pouring all of his energy into repairing the vanishing cabinet sixth year, but this was an all time low. And he was pretty sure he would start crying if Potter just kept staring at him the way he was.

Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder. Draco turned to the right, and found that Potter was touching him. On the shoulder. A comforting gesture, saved for friends and those to be pitied. Knowing that it couldn’t be the former, Draco inferred it must be the latter.

He must have snarled or something of the like, because Potter took back his hand very suddenly, with a shocked look on his face. They were caught in a staring match for a few minutes, entirely silent. 

“Nobody blames you, you know.” Draco blinked. He must have heard wrong. There is no way Potter, his childhood archnemesis and eventual antagonist of his entire adult life, was absolving him of all guilt. “It’s not your fault. You were raised in a world that didn’t give you many other options.”

And with that, Draco began sobbing uncontrollably. His face was buried in his hands as he hunched over, crying. Potter’s hand was rubbing his back in slow circles. Another form of comfort. Maybe Potter didn’t him. Maybe they were friends.

After taking a breath, Draco sat up, and softly began to speak. “It is my fault, though. I’m the one who repaired the vanishing cabinet. Dumbledore wouldn’t be dead if it wasn’t for me. The order would have still had a strong leader. Maybe The Dark Lo… Voldemort would have caused less death, died sooner.”

Potter gave him a soft smile. “Dumbledore wanted to die that night; it was all planned. You couldn’t have stopped anything that happened this year.”

“Maybe I just got mixed in with the wrong sort.”

“Draco, you were born into the wrong sort. That’s not your fault.”

Draco felt himself look down again. “I have a second chance now though. What if I do it again, by myself this time?”

“Do what?”

“Get mixed in with bad people.”

Potter jumped up, and dragged Draco up with hi. “Well that’s why you have me, isn’t it?”

“What?”

“You’ll soon find some wizards are better than others. You don’t want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there.” Drace felt himself smile as he slowly looked up, to see Potter’s outstretched arm. “Harry Potter. Pleased to meet you.”

Draco cautiously reached forward, grabbing on to the hand in front of him. “Draco Malfoy. And the pleasure is all mine.”


End file.
